[REVISION HISTORY]

Social and political unrest in Venezuela

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2026-08-28 17:53 UTC → 2026-09-02 15:08 UTC · added ~~removed~~

During the first half of 2026, Venezuela experienced a significant surge in social unrest, with the Observatorio Venezolano de Conflictividad Social reporting a 180% increase in protests compared to the previous year. Following a January military operation by United States forces that resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores, early demonstrations focused on political freedoms and democratic guarantees. As the year progressed, the nature of the unrest evolved. In the second quarter, protests shifted toward economic and social demands, including better wages, labor rights, and access to essential services like healthcare and housing. Unrest was also fueled by public criticism of the government’s response to earthquakes in June. By late August, protests expanded to include demands for a definitive electoral schedule and the restoration of national sovereignty over oil resources. Leftist organizations and labor unions have denounced the current management of the energy sector, alleging that crude oil revenues are being directed into United States Treasury accounts and that the industry is under a form of “colonial domination.” On August 31, the OVCS documented 11 protests across eight states, including Anzoátegui, Zulia, and Distrito Capital, where demonstrators cited the deterioration of water and food access. In Sucre, state employees protested unpaid wages and the fractional payment of holiday bonuses, seeking meetings with Governor Jhoanna Carrillo to address social benefits pending since 2012. Concurrently, a coalition of media outlets and organizations released the ‘Manifiesto por la Libertad de Expresión en Venezuela’, calling for the dismantling of restrictive legal frameworks like the ‘Ley contra el Odio’ and reforms to Conatel to prevent censorship.

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